


Safeword

by MiniNephthys



Series: Infinite Apology Loop [1]
Category: Fate/Zero, Fate/stay night (Visual Novel)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-14
Updated: 2011-08-14
Packaged: 2017-10-22 14:58:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/239286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniNephthys/pseuds/MiniNephthys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Issei isn't too fond of the Master/Servant dynamic's implications.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Safeword

Issei understood, or thought that he understood, why Lancer was so careful around him. Being a Servant was the same as being a knight, and he had sworn to be a loyal and dutiful knight. That meant taking no liberties with his Master like calling him something familiar.

It just bothered Issei. While he was mostly used to being addressed as 'Master' by his Servant and had been preparing himself for it before the summoning, it always disappointed him a little to hear the word. He had hoped that, of his own volition, Lancer would switch to some version of his name. The most respectful 'Ryudo-sama' would have been an improvement over 'Master' in his mind.

Suffering an excess of politeness was not too great of a trouble. Issei let the matter go untouched while he focused on the more important issues of surviving and getting Lancer to open up and at least consider doing things for himself. It would do him no good to cease presenting himself as a Master at all and lose Lancer's respect.

There came a point when he had to bring it up. He considered mentioning it several times, not least when he kissed Lancer first and watched his flustered reaction. Then after the second and third - by the fourth, he felt ready to breach the subject.

"I would be all right with it if you called me by my name," he commented, barely pulling away from Lancer's face. It was probably unfair to have his breath ghosting over Lancer's skin and making him shiver while he mentioned this, but it would take more time than he really had to get through to Lancer while playing fairly. He could die. Relationships could speed up a little.

"...What would you prefer me to call you?" Lancer asked, sounding calm as usual, but looking far more flushed than normal. Having been kissed senseless did that. Issei hoped he had done that good of a job, anyway; considering Diarmuid's previous romantic experience, it was actually unlikely that he stood out.

"Issei. Issei would be fine. But, I don't want to make you uncomfortable either - I'm just saying that, if you wanted to, you could." He always wondered about this line, what Lancer did because he thought Issei would want versus the few things Lancer did because he wanted to, himself. It was almost impossible for him to tell.

"If that's what you want, Mas... Issei." Lancer sounded unsure of himself.

It was still progress. They'd adjust to it.  


* * *

  
Issei stopped counting the number of times they had kissed, because his brain cells were better used for tasks like figuring out where to put his hands. Then there was the matter of making him do that with his tongue again, and then-

"M-Master, what are you doing?" Lancer looked even more flustered, and Issei pulled out his hands from under his shirt immediately.

"Oh. Um." Issei cleared his throat. Suddenly, the prospect of making out seemed less appealing. "...We have a new rule - it's actually more like my promise to you. If you call me 'Master', I stop what I'm doing. Without exception."

"Ah..." Seeming more confused than relieved: "I didn't mean to complain, Issei."

"I know you didn't, but that's part of it. If you're just letting me do things because I summoned you, I don't want to do them. I would find it reprehensible to take advantage of this imbalance of power. However..." A small smile. "If you, you truly wanted to do these things with me, then I would be happy beyond belief. So - no 'Master'."

After a moment, Lancer returned his smile. "I'll remember."  


* * *

  
Lancer forgot.

Issei held fast to his promise. Every time that a question began with "Master, what-?" or he heard even a whimper of "M-Master," Issei pulled away from Lancer and let him recover. It wasn't (completely) to torture him that he did this; Issei really couldn't summon up the will to go further when he heard himself addressed so.

"You don't have to do this," Lancer reminded him, sounding... a little disappointed.

"It's important that I do this, giving you an easy out," Issei answered as he put his shirt back on. "You don't even have to tell me if it was intentional or not, if going against what I'd like bothers you - I can assume it was accidental, and you can avoid doing things you would rather not do. If I ever used my position for things you didn't want, I would be the worst kind of Master I can think of, and I can't stand the thought of it."

"Even so..." Lancer glanced down below Issei's waistline, then quickly jerked his head back up to avoid more embarrassment.

Issei flushed a little. "It, it will go away. That's no excuse, you know."  


* * *

  
Absolute frustration.

He did not hear anything like 'Master' when they kissed, although it was hard to form the word like that anyway.

He did not hear the word getting his shirt off, or getting Lancer's shirt off, or exploring Lancer's strong chest through touch.

He did not hear the word getting Lancer's pants off, but-

After only two strokes, a breathy but distinguishable cry of "Master" escaped Lancer's lips.

Issei carefully pulled his hand away and sat back. "...Well, all right." He had hoped that this would be the time, but really, it was less important than making sure Lancer wasn't forcing himself to do things.

His unhappiness must have shown in his face despite his best efforts, because Lancer looked aghast. "I-Issei, I didn't mean-"

"I made a promise to you. I intend to fully keep that promise. I will not have you doing things like this only because you feel it is your role." Shakily, Issei got to his feet. "...Give me one moment, I'm going to go put my shirt back on."

Thankfully, Lancer didn't question why he needed to go to the bathroom to put his shirt _back_ on. Issei bit into his hand to muffle the groans as he imagined having gone further, having seen Lancer's face as he just forgot about his worries and station and anything but pleasure. And maybe, possibly getting to feel the same. It was a familiar fantasy by now.

Lancer was wearing his clothes again when he came back. They didn't discuss it further.  


* * *

  
"...Issei. If you hear it, you stop what you're doing - that's what you said exactly?" Lancer wasn't facing Issei as he asked, this.

The question came out of nowhere, so it took Issei a moment to place what he meant. "I think those were my exact words."

"Good." Lancer turned and came closer; his expression had a determined bent usually reserved for more serious matters. "Then this will work."

"What-?" Issei couldn't say anything more when Lancer tilted his chin up and kissed him deeply.

This... was rare. Lancer had initiated things a few times before, although like all the other times they'd begun, they hadn't gone as far as Issei would secretly, or not secretly, have preferred. This kiss seemed more purposeful than the previous ones Lancer had started, however. Issei yielded, letting Lancer control what he wanted. He seemed to want quite a bit that Issei liked.

Somewhere in the middle of the kiss, when Issei's mind was occupied with figuring out how to keep breathing without ever stopping the kiss in the rest of his life, Lancer's hands ended up underneath Issei's shirt. Issei shivered, and then regrettably had to break the kiss to moan properly.

Issei felt a little like a spectator. He tried doing the same to Lancer, but he swatted his hands away before taking his own shirt off. Then his shirt, and both of their pants. For some yet unknown reason, Lancer drew him down gently onto his back before, um, when did he get lube, why was he... preparing himself?

Feeling as though he couldn't possibly turn any more red, Issei at least could manage to start stroking Lancer to help him with the discomfort. That wasn't shot down. Too quickly, though, Lancer stopped his ministrations and lowered himself down over him, hissing in pain at being filled so roughly.

"I-I could have told you that was too soon, are you all right?" Issei asked with wide eyes. "And I should have applied some to me as well, m-maybe we should give it a little more time..."

"That, would... probably be best." So Lancer rose off of him long enough so that they could have a decent amount of lube applied to both of them. This time, when Lancer sank down over him, he merely stopped for a while, breathing deeply and getting used to it.

For his part, Issei just shut his eyes and tried not to go insane from the tight heat that he had honestly not expected to ever feel, not with Lancer. They had enough trouble with hands. Why would they be able to progress to this stage? He let slip a few whimpers that turned quickly into drawn-out moans when Lancer began to move.

Movement: slowly, gradually speeding up as Lancer kept adjusting. Movement that flooded his nerves with pleasure more acute than even the pain of his summoning. Movement that made Lancer tilt his head back and groan as well on the deepest parts of the continual slide, eyes shut tight. Feeling again like he wasn't participating enough, Issei reached out and began to stroke again, not having ever seen Lancer so hard before. He shuddered every time Issei ran his thumb over the head, and he moaned-

"Master..." The moan was distinct.

Issei snatched his hand back with something like complete despair. They had never come this far, and to have to stop now? His resolve to keep his promise wavered for only a moment, but... no. He would stop. He... apart from his hand that he'd already pulled back, had no way to stop.

"Ah, um, Lancer? D-didn't you just say, um, I can't..."

Lancer opened his eyes, and Issei shivered at the heat in their gaze. He slowed only a tiny fraction. "If I say that word, accidentally or not, you'll stop what you're doing - that is what you told me. ...Master, can it be said that you're doing anything at the moment?"

He had thought that it was strange for Lancer to have picked this particular act in this particular position. He understood now.

Lancer, even as just a man, did not want this to stop.

Warmth would have filled his heart had his body not already felt like it was on fire. He smiled again, bright and earnest. "Then, I leave it all to your judgment, Diarmuid."

An answering smile.

The hard rise and fall of his hips, the return of Issei's hand drawing out moan after moan, the face Lancer made when he climaxed, all of these things Issei considered separate miracles far superior to his own shuddering finish. He laid back, completely spent, as Lancer laid a small distance away from him.

Even an inch would have been too far away. "Come back over here. You are a bit silly after all - don't you know that I need to kiss you?"

Lancer chuckled. "Of course, Issei."


End file.
